Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-06-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for June
12-"The Command
ments.

4Rouat Sinai There Is still difference Of
oplnion in locating this mountain. The old
tiecry was that Jebel Musa, sthe mountain
of Moses, was the peak; but it WAS soon seen
that this was a mistake Later, and by al
most general consent Ras Sufsafeh, three
miles to tho north, WAS accepted. For eX-
anple,s Palmer says of this. No one who
examines it with special reference to the
Bible account of tho proclamation of the law
can fail to be struck with its entire accordance
with the details of the narrative. Tie PLAIN
derives its name. Rahah, from lis level char
acter There arc fully 200 acres OF the plain
proper, exactly facing the mount, and siop-
ing down to it with just such a gentle IN
clination as would best enable large number
of peopie to see at once. The area
of 4UO acres would accommodate with ease
about two millions of spectators, at the am
plo allowance of n square yard each; and be-
sides this tuere is a considerable further open
space, extending northwestward from the
watershed OF crest of the plain, but still III
sight of the mount-the very spot, it may be,
to which the trembling 1sraelitcs removed
and stood afar OF, when they feared to come
nigh unto the cloud and the thick darkness"
But it is questionable if this Is actually the
place. @The conditions of the mountain are
that Q@ it must be easy of approach; t2)it
must have plain sufficiently large for
the assembling, of :, the whole eongroga-
plain must be abrupt, aud valleys must in
tervene between it and the neighborng
mountains; az there must have been plcnti-
full supply of water and pasturage;" t>) there
must have been sufficient room 10 allow an
encampment of many months. Tho diflicnl-
ties III the case of this sito aro thus indicated
By Hev. S. i. Hancock: "1here appears,
therefore, a strong probability that the total
population of the wilderness camp was con-
siderably more than three millions For our
present calculs.ion we will place it at that
number For the accommodation of this host
then, we are assigned thirty million square
feet, that is, ton square feet to each person.
This would be n space five feet in length anil
two feet in width, on the average, for each; 70
that at night the whole available ground
woald be actually carpcted with living human
bodies, SO closely packed that no one could
move without encroaching on his neighbor.'
After referring to the additional room
required for the flock and herds, and
adds: SIN short, ii is evident the space afforded
would scarcely ba sufficient to con-
tain the crowded persons, animals and ma
terial OF the camp, even without allowing
room for free movement; and that by no pos
sible system OF compression could the en-
campment have been forced into the space
before the mountain now nominated as the
genuine sinai. rejecting Ras Sufsafeh as
the true Mount Sinai, he concludes by sus-
mountain about eight or len miles eastward
of this, which geographically meets the re-
quircments OF tic C ,se, 1t is called Jebel um
Alowec (Moher OF Heights), and is men,
toned as possibly the true Sinai by Rsv F.
Y. Holland, fellow of the Royal Geographical
,ocety tSee Smiths Bible Dictionary, Amer
ican edition, article Sinai page 3O54) Tho
road to it is the same as to Ras Sufsafeh up to
the last five or six miles. 1t rises almost pre-
cipitously, from the plain beneath, literally
mount that might be touched while tho
plain. Es Senned, contains about thirty miles
of good camping-grouud'
Ihe Ten Commandments They are called
in Hebrew swords," not Commandments
The division is uncertain. The Jews combine
one and two as number two, and make what
we call the preface number one The Luther
ans and Catholics also join one and two, but
make out the ten by dividing tue tenth. 1t is
probable that only the opening sentences were
engraven on the tables of stone, and hence
may be accounted for the variations between
the version of Exodus and that of Deriteron-
omy. Tho tables probably contained each
five commandments, the first relating to filial,
the second to fraternal duties. Augustine
thought they were divided into three and
seven. The common division is into four
and six, the former including duties to God,
the latter the duties to man. Are the COM
mandments to be interpreted according to
the letter or according to the spirit? Do they
forbid only that which IL expressly mon toned,
or are they to be taken AZ general statements!
Christ, 1t ID claimed, contrasted his teaching
with that of these commandments. Is this
the case, or was 1t not rather VITA the Phar-
E isaiSai 'ltcl piCtdtlDl VI SO common Ill
his day2 thArper.) Nothing grander than
the ten commandments has ever been uttered
in this world. They lie at the foundation of
all religion and morality, of all prosperity
and happiness, individual and national, tenn
poral and eternal, and OF all spiritual life.
E The circumstances and manner of their proc
lamation, and the care that was taken to make
the record of thom lasting were worthy of
them, and indicate that they We're intended to
be, because they are universal and eternal I"
(Todd.)
False ,corShip. Q) Nature-worship, or tbs
worship of the forces or objects of nature,
such as stars, trees, meteoric stones, etc, with
which the lsraelites were familiar; t2) ami
very common among The lsraelites AMI tia
surrounding nations; az sprit-worship, ]. G.,
tho worship of angels or demons or the dead
lCf. Col. g 1S; Lew II: z; ps. 166: 2S)i @)
worship Of imaginary beings,, 4the spirit of
nature, the everything of pantheism, the moth
ing of atheism, or the creatures of imagina-
uon which men form for themselves under
The promptings of their own fancie., wishes
and desires, but which are not the God of the
Bible and have no reality" I) world-worship,
business, friends or family; IA self-worship.
(Harper.)
Taking The name Of Goa in rain. Among
the things prohibited by the third command
breviated OF disguised oaths and by-words; I;
(4) all irreyerent and careless treatment, IN
jest or otherwise, of sacred things, such as
the sanctuary, the sacrament, the word OF
God, the church, tho ministry; (5) the familiar
aud irreverent use of Gods name las well as
ITS frequent and almost meaningless repeti-
tition) In prayer" sIt would be far better to
MI up the pauses of prayer in some other way
than by verbose and objectless repetition OF
Jehovahs name"
The Sabbath ddy-itS importance and sptyiL
Thatsthe commandment establishing it was
placed among those which, all acknowledge,
are of universal obligation, that it was en-
craven with them on tables OF stone, and
ordered to be preserved in the ark of the
testimony of Gods covenant with His people,
indicates that it was intended to be universal
and perpetual i'll its authority. The expert
ence of the world testifes to the necessity OF
the Sabbath Nations have tried to abolish il
and have been obliged to restore it. States
ment, looking at the subject from a purely
political and economical point of view, have
pronounced strongly in its favor. Few will
deny that it would DO next to impossible to
spread or preserve Christianity or any re-
nsion without the opportunity afforded by the
Sabbath.
The fourth commandment docs not say
which six days are to be spent in labor, OF
point out which the seventh is. It merely de-
clares that every seventh day shall be Sab.
bath 1t merely aims to secure the consecra-
ton of the seventh part of the time. To sup
pose that it is important which day is Oh
served, is to interpre. the commandment with
strictness which is not applied to any other
Of the commandments. and with regard to
the letter which killeth, rather than the spri,
which giveth life, and which is utterly foreign
to the Bible and its author. Todd)
CONNECTING LINK
!. Water from the rock at Rcphidim (Ex. IL:
10. Z First battle and victory (Ex II: S-lGl
O. Visit of Jethro, and appointment of judges
Ex lS. 4 Encampment before Sinai, and
displays OF divine power Ex. 19) This was
about six weeks after leaving Egypt. In this
was tho fulfllment of Gods promise to Moses
o.; l9. As a preparation in thought and
| spirit, chapter 10 should be carefully and
| reverently read.
SEED TRUTHS AND aERM-rHouGHrs.
| ]; Man is not left without divine and a
full rule of life ". ~.
2. How many and weighty the arguments
| why We should love God ". y.
D. fright views of God are at the foundation
! of all true worship" w. p.
T. The many false gods Of even Christian
lands and times ". 3)
q The God who gives the command will
also give grace and strength to obey w. A.
y We copy and become like the object OF
! being We worship ". 81.